Electrical power distribution busway housings are used to enclose and support electrically conductive busbars in a power distribution busway system. The busway includes a number of busway sections which are connected to one another by busway joints. Each busway section includes a housing that encloses a plurality of busbars which may be phase busbars, neutral busbars, or ground busbars depending on the particular application. High current (high-amp) busway systems generally have current carrying capacity of approximately 600 to 5000 amperes, while low current (low-amp) busway systems generally have current carrying capacity of approximately 100 to 800 amperes.
In one implementation described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,710,300 busway housing for a low amp busway is formed from two pairs of parallel walls: the first pair of walls is mounted perpendicular to the second pair, creating a four sided structure for containing the electrically conductive busbars. The side walls may include a series of corrugations for containing the busbars and maintaining a separation distance. The corrugations are separated by a straight portion of the side wall which reduces the structural strength of the busway.
Another type of busway housing is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,018,320. The housing is formed from two generally U-shaped troughs which include flanges for supporting the busbars and a series of holes used for ventilation and cooling. The busbar edges are encased in individual strips of insulative material which separate the busbars from the housing walls. Additional insulative sheets can be applied to the top and bottom of the busbars. No mechanism is provided for sealing the busway against contaminants and moisture.
Still another power distribution system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,852,515. That system uses a busway having a top channel and a bottom channel disposed on the top and bottom of a stack of electrically conductive busbars. Such channels include flanges disposed outwardly from the busbar stack to facilitate attachment of the top channel to the bottom channel. Doors permitting connection to the busbar edges interrupt the seal between the housing channels, creating potential leak paths. Other examples of busway housings are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,852,515; 3,818,417; 3,566,331; 3,384,855; 3,113,820; 3,088,994 and 2,059,988.